Written Answers

Monday 12 June 2000

Scottish Executive

Environment

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive which of its agencies or departments and which public bodies currently operate systems of strategic environmental assessment in determining their policies and programmes.

Sarah Boyack: Decision making across the Executive and its sponsored bodies takes account of the environmental implications of the various options under consideration. The Executive intends to implement its Programme for Government commitment to apply strategic environmental assessment in the light of the final terms of the EC Directive.

Environment

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will estimate the costs of implementing contaminated land legislation within the allocation to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency for 2000-01 and 2001-02 in table 7.15 of its publication Investing in You .

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) estimates that it will incur operating costs amounting to £430,000 in 2000-01 and £440,000 in 2001-02 in carrying out its responsibilities under the new contaminated land regime. This equates to approximately 7.5 full-time equivalent staff resources in each year. The additional financial burdens expected to fall upon SEPA have been taken into account in its grant-in-aid settlements.

Environment

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what role Scottish Natural Heritage and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee have in monitoring oil developments in Scottish coastal waters.

Sarah Boyack: Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) do not have a remit to monitor oil developments in Scottish coastal waters. This is a matter for the UK Government. SNH and JNCC may however assist oil companies develop monitoring strategies by providing expert advice.

Environment

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what role the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) has in Scotland and on what matters it makes representations to the JNCC.

Sarah Boyack: The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) is the forum through which Scottish Natural Heritage and its sister agencies, English Nature and the Countryside Council for Wales, deliver their statutory nature conservation responsibilities for Great Britain as a whole and internationally. The Scottish Executive may from time to time consult the JNCC and make representations to it on the discharge of its responsibilities insofar as these affect Scotland.

Environment

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-6539 by Sarah Boyack on 18 May 2000, what its precise involvement has been in the consideration of the case, in particular (a) whether the instructions to the legal agents came from the Executive or from a department of Her Majesty’s Government and (b) what its role has been in terms of instructions and meetings with the relevant parties.

Sarah Boyack: Exchanges between the Scottish Executive and the UK Government are conducted on a confidential basis.

Environment

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of global warming and in particular any consequent flooding of low lying coastal areas.

Sarah Boyack: The Executive’s research report Climate Change: Scottish Implications Scoping Study , published December 1999 (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/cru/kd01/ccsi-01.pdf), sets out the possible implications of climate change for Scotland. Flooding, including flooding of coastal areas, was identified as one of the main impacts of climate change for Scotland. In response to the report’s findings the Executive have commissioned further research to examine, among other things, the effect of climate change on the frequency of floods, including coastal flooding, and the effect on design standards of existing riverine flood prevention schemes.

  This research, together with research due to be published next year by the UK Climate Impacts Programme to update their Climate Change Scenarios for the United Kingdom, will provide a clearer view of the impacts of climate change on Scotland, including sea level rise and increased storminess. In anticipation of this we are gathering information to identify those areas which may be vulnerable to the predicted increases in sea level.

Environment

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what commitments it will give in relation to the environmental regeneration of current nuclear sites in Scotland as a result of statements on nuclear disarmament by the UK at a recent United Nations meeting in New York.

Sarah Boyack: While recognising the lengthy timescale required to complete decommissioning, the Scottish Executive is committed to remediation in line with the principle of sustainable development.

  In accordance with the polluter pays principle, site operators will be required to meet remediation costs.

Genetically Modified Seeds

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to discover the extent of the accidental dispersal of a GM seed bought by Advanta Seeds from a Canadian seed manufacturer and then planted on Scottish farms.

Ross Finnie: My officials have had discussions with Advanta by telephone and participated in a meeting with Advanta and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on 1 June.

  We have also written to Advanta requesting that it provide this information which I understand is now being compiled.

Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to reduce the incidence of accidental overdose of legally obtained prescription and over-the-counter medicines.

Susan Deacon: The Executive supports the aim of providing patients with full and useful information about prescribed and over-the-counter medicines. UK law now requires medicines to be supplied to consumers with specified information on the label and with an accompanying leaflet to ensure safe and correct use. There has therefore been a general move by manufacturers towards supplying medicines in packs which have patient information leaflets sealed into them.

Historic Scotland

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the key performance targets it has set Historic Scotland for 2000-01.

Rhona Brankin: I have set Historic Scotland the following key performance targets for 2000-01:

  


Key Performance 
Area 


Target 




Protecting 
Scotland’s Built Heritage 




Number 
of monuments scheduled 


325 




Weighted 
number of listed building re-survey units 


183 




No. of 
weeks in which 80% of Scheduled Monument Consent cases resolved 


9 




Percentage 
of Listed Building Consent cases resolved within 28 days 


97% 




No. of 
historic building repair projects newly assisted by grant 


105 




Total 
value of grant-assisted repairs 


£40 
million 




Programme 
of conservation of properties in care 


Meet 
Conservation Programme + 




Promoting 
and Presenting the Built Heritage 




HS market 
share compared to other paid visitor attractions in Scotland 


52%* 




Percentage 
of satisfied visitors (survey based) 


96% 




Average 
retail spend per visitor 

 



Agency 
Management 




Percentage 
efficiency gains/savings on non-grant expenditure 


1.5% 




  + To be detailed in the Agency’s Corporate Plan

  * The Agency’s top ten properties will be measured against the National Trust for Scotland’s top 10 properties and the top 10 privately-owned historic attractions.

Housing

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to allow local authorities to establish 100% publicly owned arms length companies to bring investment into public sector housing following the announcement by the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on 4 April 2000 that this would be permitted in England and Wales.

Ms Wendy Alexander: DETR’s proposals for arms length companies have limited attraction in Scottish circumstances as there are no plans to relieve the companies of any debt burden, in the same way as we are doing for Scottish councils who move to community ownership. In addition, all borrowing by the proposed arms length companies will be subject to the normal controls on public expenditure and, consequently in Scottish circumstances, would be met from the resources available in the assigned budget.

  We will of course continue to monitor how any proposals are taken forward by DETR.

Housing

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how often The Key will be distributed in Glasgow; to whom it will be delivered, how many copies of each edition will be published; how much each edition will cost; how it will be funded, and by whom.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Key newsletter will be distributed to all council tenants to inform them of issues related to the development of a proposal for housing transfer. The frequency of issue will be determined in the light of tenants information requirements. It is estimated each edition will cost £30,000 including postage. The costs will be met from the New Housing Partnership funding allocated to the council.

Housing

Bristow Muldoon (Livingston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce legislation to regulate the level of rents in the private rented housing sector.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Rents for tenancies which pre-date 2 January 1989 are regulated by the provisions of the Rent (Scotland) Act 1984. If either the tenant or the landlord request a determination, Rent Officers decide what figure is fair for the particular property, and the rent is registered. If either the landlord or tenant is dissatisfied with the Rent Officer’s decision, the Rent Assessment Committee can be asked to reconsider the rent.

  Following the introduction of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1988, rents for assured tenancies entered into on and after 2 January 1988 are not regulated. Rents are instead agreed at the outset between the landlord and tenant and I have no current plans to introduce legislation to regulate these rents.

Housing

Bristow Muldoon (Livingston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce legislation to improve the rights of tenants in the private rented housing sector in relation to maintenance and improvement of property.

Ms Wendy Alexander: I have no plans at present to introduce new legislation in this regard, beyond the HMO licensing scheme. Private sector landlords are currently required, by law, to maintain their property wind and water tight and in good tenantable condition. They must also keep in repair the structure and exterior of the house and maintain the proper working order of installations in the house, such as sinks, baths and heating systems. If the landlord does not meet their statutory responsibilities, the tenant can pursue this in the courts who can order such repairs to be done and may award damages to the tenant.

  If a private sector tenant wished to repair or make improvements to the property over and above the statutory requirements and outwith their tenancy agreement, then this would normally be a matter which they could agree with their landlord. The landlord would not be entitled to increase the rent as a result of any improvements by the tenant.

Justice

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to detail for each of the last three years the amount raised in fines from motorists committing offences, including parking offences, by (a) local authority area and (b) type of offence.

Mr Jim Wallace: The available information is given in the tables. In addition to the figures shown, the City of Edinburgh Council raised £876,000 in parking and vehicle recovery charges between October and December 1998 through the penalty charge scheme it introduced on 5 October 1998.

  


Fines 
imposed by Scottish courts for motor vehicle offences, 19961



 

£000 




Local 
authority area 


Total 


Dangerous/
careless 
driving 


Drunk
driving
offences 


Speeding
offences 


Unlawful
use 
of
vehicle
offences 


Vehicle
defect
offences 


Other
offences 




Total2


8,903 


994 


2,236 


1,617 


2,767 


433 


856 




Aberdeen3


687 


94 


192 


103 


195 


31 


71 




Angus 


187 


28 


52 


53 


36 


7 


11 




Argyll 
& Bute 


110 


22 


34 


13 


29 


4 


8 




Ayrshire4


765 


102 


185 


98 


285 


33 


62 




Clackmannanshire 


60 


6 


19 


10 


21 


3 


2 




Dumfries 
& Galloway 


622 


67 


71 


201 


114 


71 


99 




Dundee 
City 


260 


23 


63 


41 


89 


20 


24 




East Lothian 


118 


9 


29 


35 


29 


5 


11 




Edinburgh5


728 


46 


239 


60 


257 


25 


102 




Eilean 
Siar 


51 


6 


30 


1 


11 


1 


4 




Falkirk 


191 


11 


53 


26 


77 


8 


17 




Fife 


392 


54 


98 


38 


165 


11 


27 




Glasgow6


966 


67 


378 


146 


246 


26 


103 




Highland 


515 


89 


178 


88 


112 


23 


25 




Inverclyde 


160 


21 


51 


14 


54 


7 


14 




Lanarkshire7


1,002 


115 


202 


299 


278 


34 


74 




Moray 


181 


21 


53 


64 


30 


5 


7 




Orkney 
Islands 


21 


6 


8 


1 


5 


0 


1 




Perth 
& Kinross 


331 


33 


60 


98 


49 


46 


45 




Renfrewshire8


360 


52 


93 


25 


145 


9 


36 




Scottish 
Borders 


196 


15 


25 


123 


22 


3 


9 




Shetland 
Islands 


31 


4 


17 


0 


7 


2 


1 




Stirling 


163 


15 


44 


14 


44 


32 


14 




West Lothian 


241 


28 


62 


29 


86 


8 


28 




  Notes:

  1. Excludes a small number of cases where the amount of fine involved is not known.

  2. Includes fines in cases for which the individual court involved is not known.

  3. Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire.

  4. East, South and North Ayrshire.

  5. City of Edinburgh and Midlothian.

  6. Glasgow City and East and West Dunbartonshire.

  7. North and South Lanarkshire.

  8. East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire.

  


Fines 
imposed by Scottish courts for motor vehicle offences, 19971



 

£000 




Local 
authority area 


Total 


Dangerous/
careless 
driving 


Drunk
driving
offences 


Speeding
offences 


Unlawful
use 
of
vehicle
offences 


Vehicle
defect
offences 


Other
offences 




Total2


9,142 


1,024 


2,473 


1,518 


2,816 


433 


878 




Aberdeen3


740 


102 


224 


102 


201 


36 


75 




Angus 


209 


27 


58 


66 


42 


5 


11 




Argyll 
& Bute 


134 


19 


63 


13 


28 


2 


9 




Ayrshire4


630 


77 


162 


76 


236 


25 


54 




Clackmannanshire 


68 


6 


24 


8 


25 


1 


2 




Dumfries 
& Galloway 


604 


63 


74 


178 


116 


45 


128 




Dundee 
City 


238 


16 


61 


32 


96 


11 


23 




East Lothian 


116 


9 


33 


28 


31 


5 


9 




Edinburgh5


874 


75 


261 


69 


307 


47 


116 




Eilean 
Siar 


67 


7 


45 


2 


10 


1 


2 




Falkirk 


207 


15 


54 


36 


71 


12 


19 




Fife 


451 


64 


125 


50 


160 


14 


38 




Glasgow6


1,029 


63 


419 


125 


296 


29 


98 




Highland 


479 


81 


163 


82 


98 


22 


32 




Inverclyde 


146 


14 


53 


15 


51 


5 


8 




Lanarkshire7


1,027 


135 


227 


206 


342 


50 


67 




Moray 


232 


26 


63 


87 


32 


9 


15 




Orkney 
Islands 


19 


3 


8 


1 


5 


1 


1 




Perth 
& Kinross 


348 


32 


77 


104 


55 


43 


37 




Renfrewshire8


364 


61 


114 


24 


132 


9 


23 




Scottish 
Borders 


232 


28 


32 


129 


23 


5 


16 




Shetland 
Islands 


23 


3 


11 


0 


5 


2 


1 




Stirling 


153 


17 


49 


12 


42 


19 


15 




West Lothian 


267 


28 


70 


42 


87 


15 


25 




  Notes:

  1. Excludes a small number of cases where the amount of fine involved is not known.

  2. Includes fines in cases for which the individual court involved is not known.

  3. Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire.

  4. East, South and North Ayrshire.

  5. City of Edinburgh and Midlothian.

  6. Glasgow City and East and West Dunbartonshire.

  7. North and South Lanarkshire.

  8. East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire.

  


Fines 
imposed by Scottish courts for motor vehicle offences, 19981



 

£000 




Local 
authority area 


Total 


Dangerous/
careless
driving 


Drunk
driving
offences 


Speeding
offences 


Unlawful
use 
of
vehicle
offences 


Vehicle
defect
offences 


Other
offences 




Total2


8,465 


871 


2,166 


1,582 


2,554 


371 


921 




Aberdeen3


888 


109 


223 


205 


206 


55 


90 




Angus 


254 


28 


59 


110 


44 


3 


10 




Argyll 
& Bute 


102 


18 


29 


11 


25 


8 


10 




Ayrshire4


574 


63 


153 


76 


205 


22 


55 




Clackmannanshire 


61 


5 


20 


9 


21 


1 


4 




Dumfries 
& Galloway 


490 


41 


69 


58 


110 


40 


171 




Dundee 
City 


232 


15 


64 


29 


90 


12 


23 




East Lothian 


115 


9 


36 


30 


26 


4 


9 




Edinburgh5


853 


73 


241 


77 


307 


37 


118 




Eilean 
Siar 


32 


4 


17 


1 


8 


0 


2 




Falkirk 


199 


15 


52 


36 


71 


8 


16 




Fife 


406 


46 


120 


37 


168 


11 


24 




Glasgow6


1,239 


104 


334 


175 


479 


29 


118 




Highland 


414 


60 


147 


85 


84 


18 


21 




Inverclyde 


111 


10 


28 


15 


44 


5 


8 




Lanarkshire7


895 


108 


190 


155 


294 


36 


112 




Moray 


174 


25 


71 


36 


29 


4 


8 




Orkney 
Islands 


19 


4 


7 


1 


4 


1 


2 




Perth 
& Kinross 


406 


30 


62 


184 


55 


30 


45 




Renfrewshire8


292 


44 


80 


23 


119 


8 


18 




Scottish 
Borders 


284 


27 


34 


168 


28 


11 


16 




Shetland 
Islands 


20 


3 


9 


1 


4 


2 


1 




Stirling 


127 


13 


44 


17 


34 


13 


7 




West Lothian 


246 


15 


78 


38 


76 


11 


28 




  Notes:

  1. Excludes a small number of cases where the amount of fine involved is not known.

  2. Includes fines in cases for which the individual court involved is not known.

  3. Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire.

  4. East, South and North Ayrshire.

  5. City of Edinburgh and Midlothian.

  6. Glasgow City and East and West Dunbartonshire.

  7. North and South Lanarkshire.

  8. East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire.

  


Value of registered fines and fixed penalties received by 
district courts for traffic offences 



 

£000 



 

1996-971


1997-98 




Commission Area 


Registered fines 


Police/PF fixed penalties for traffic offences 


Registered fines 


Police/PF fixed penalties for traffic offences 




endorsable 


non-endorsable 


endorsable 


non-endorsable 




Total 


1,345 


2,569 


3,614 


1,353 


3,326 


3,357 




Aberdeen City 


78 


87 


426 


64 


95 


396 




Aberdeenshire 


n/a 


78 


13 


26 


233 


73 




Angus 


19 


44 


51 


20 


80 


56 




Argyll & Bute 


n/a 


98 


31 


15 


98 


1 




Clackmannanshire 


8 


19 


14 


6 


41 


20 




Dumfries & Galloway 


30 


283 


145 


27 


292 


117 




Dundee City 


88 


12 


234 


88 


56 


252 




East Ayrshire 


11 


51 


16 


31 


71 


26 




East Dunbartonshire 


49 


21 


27 


51 


26 


41 




East Lothian 


n/a 


32 


57 


27 


63 


46 




East Renfrewshire 


n/a 


34 


5 


n/a 


26 


7 




Edinburgh, City of 


297 


225 


1,459 


274 


256 


1,329 




Eilean Siar 


0 


5 


18 


1 


7 


8 




Falkirk 


n/a 


114 


11 


38 


102 


132 




Fife2


n/a 


n/a 


n/a 


29 


142 


222 




Glasgow City3,4


498 


561 


498 


362 


622 


n/a 




Highland3


n/a 


n/a 


n/a 


21 


123 


25 




Inverclyde 


8 


37 


12 


3 


30 


11 




Midlothian 


26 


31 


36 


24 


46 


n/a 




Moray5


n/a 


n/a 


n/a 


5 


29 


19 




North Ayrshire 


36 


31 


68 


24 


39 


67 




North Lanarkshire6,7


n/a 


79 


51 


n/a 


160 


66 




Perth & Kinross 


26 


75 


79 


25 


108 


77 




Renfrewshire 


47 


23 


9 


42 


50 


30 




Scottish Borders8


17 


271 


n/a 


13 


143 


59 




South Ayrshire 


6 


87 


6 


6 


88 


n/a 




South Lanarkshire 


n/a 


150 


146 


52 


196 


29 




Stirling 


26 


60 


106 


30 


70 


100 




West Dunbartonshire 


18 


16 


6 


n/a 


n/a 


32 




West Lothian 


57 


46 


92 


50 


33 


116 




  


Value of registered fines and fixed penalties received by 
district courts for traffic offences 




Commission Area 


£000 




1998-99 




Registered fines 


Police/PF fixed
penalties for
traffic offences 




endorsable 


non-endorsable 




Total 


1,336 


3,755 


2,853 




Aberdeen City 


54 


98 


359 




Aberdeenshire 


19 


336 


88 




Angus 


37 


108 


60 




Argyll & Bute 


13 


71 


6 




Clackmannanshire 


9 


33 


17 




Dumfries & Galloway 


24 


440 


155 




Dundee City 


82 


41 


213 




East Ayrshire 


14 


86 


24 




East Dunbartonshire 


51 


25 


32 




East Lothian 


30 


70 


65 




East Renfrewshire 


43 


39 


9 




Edinburgh, City of 


221 


265 


615 




Eilean Siar 


n/a 


3 


8 




Falkirk 


32 


100 


125 




Fife2


18 


212 


174 




Glasgow City3,4


331 


545 


176 




Highland3


29 


151 


27 




Inverclyde 


1 


66 


79 




Midlothian 


18 


37 


30 




Moray5


5 


66 


41 




North Ayrshire 


25 


47 


52 




North Lanarkshire6,7


n/a 


n/a 


n/a 




Perth & Kinross 


39 


118 


87 




Renfrewshire 


28 


59 


32 




Scottish Borders8


9 


173 


71 




South Ayrshire 


11 


86 


30 




South Lanarkshire 


92 


205 


52 




Stirling 


26 


154 


91 




West Dunbartonshire 


34 


57 


19 




West Lothian 


44 


64 


119 




  n/a: not available

  Notes:

  1. Includes some estimated data.

  2. 1998-99 figure for non-endorsable penalties excludes Dunfermline.

  3. Figures for non-endorsable penalties exclude those for stationary traffic offences (mainly parking tickets).

  4. 1997-98 figure for non-endorsable penalties included within the figure for endorsable penalties.

  5. 1997-98 figures for fixed penalties cover the period 31/10/97 to 31/3/98 only.

  6. 1996-97 figure for endorsable penalties is estimated for quarters one and two only.

  7. 1997-98 figure for non-endorsable penalties excludes Coatbridge and Motherwell.

  8. 1996-97 figure for non-endorsable penalties included within the figure for endorsable penalties.

Justice

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to prevent the intimidation of witnesses and victims given the proposed repeal of sections 24 and 26 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995.

Mr Jim Wallace: The proposed repeal of sections 24 and 26 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 means that the sheriff court must consider whether to grant bail in all cases brought before it, in accordance with well established principles of common law. Amongst other factors, these include considerations of public safety, the likelihood of re-offending, the likelihood of intimidation of victims and witnesses and, where bail is granted, whether to make this subject to conditions intended to safeguard the course of justice.

  The Executive will shortly be publishing an action plan on protecting vulnerable and intimidated victims and witnesses in response to the consultation on the proposals contained in the paper Towards a Just Conclusion.

Legislation

David McLetchie (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to bring forward a Bill dealing with the confiscation of assets of suspected drug dealers.

Mr Jim Wallace: Scottish criminal courts already have wide powers to impose confiscation orders on persons convicted of drug trafficking offences. We wish to see full use of existing powers. Working together with Her Majesty’s Government, we are considering how such powers might be strengthened so that drug dealers do not profit from their trade. We will announce our conclusions and any proposals for legislation in due course.

NHS Trusts

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether local health care co-operatives will be given responsibility for commissioning secondary health care, as with English Primary Care Trusts.

Susan Deacon: No. LHCCs are part of Primary Care Trusts. Their influence on the provision of secondary care is exercised through their involvement in the development of the health board’s Health Improvement Programme which is the key health service planning document for the area.

Police

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of any new money being made available to the Scottish police service will be allocated to Grampian Police.

Mr Jim Wallace: The additional £8.9 million being allocated to Scottish police forces will be sufficient to enable the recruitment of more than 300 extra police officers. Grampian Police will receive £676,000, which is the equivalent of an additional 27 officers. However, the recruitment and deployment of staff is an operational matter for chief constables taking account of local circumstances.

Roads

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4704 by Sarah Boyack on 15 March 2000, whether it will specify every respect in which the "new dual carriageway special road" in question will be "special".

Sarah Boyack: The term "special road" stems from the Special Roads Act 1949. The proposed new A1 Haddington to Dunbar dual carriageway will be a road authorised by a Special Road Scheme and restricted in respect to the classes of traffic permitted to use the road authorised under the Act by a Special Road Scheme which means that there will be restrictions in respect of the classes of traffic that can use it, similar to those which apply to motorways.

Schools

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to ensure that suitably qualified first aiders and first aid equipment are available at all times in schools.

Peter Peacock: It is for authorities to make appropriate arrangements for first aid cover in schools, having regard to their responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and to the advice in the revised Approved Code of Practice and Guidance published in 1997 by the Health and Safety Commission in respect of the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981.

Scottish Natural Heritage

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that senior staff within Scottish Natural Heritage and other similar organisations are required to declare interests when making any recommendations in respect of financial assistance to be awarded to outside organisations.

Sarah Boyack: Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and other similar organisations are bound by the model Code of Conduct for Staff issued by the Cabinet Office, the adoption of which became mandatory for Executive NDPBs from 1 January 1997. SNH incorporated the code into its own staff handbook, which requires staff to ensure that no conflict arises in their job through their membership of outside organisations. In addition, if staff members become office bearers or directors of outside organisations they are required to notify Personnel Services who maintain a register of such interests. Failure to comply may lead to disciplinary action being taken against the member of staff.

Scottish Natural Heritage

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the eligibility criteria for Scottish Natural Heritage to be able to provide financial assistance to recreational groups involved in protecting the natural heritage, in particular those involved in the sport of racing pigeons.

Sarah Boyack: No. Scottish Natural Heritage is already able to provide financial assistance to recreational groups involved in protecting the natural heritage. With regard to the sport of racing pigeons, participants are practising a competitive sport rather than participating in an activity which constitutes protection or enjoyment of the natural heritage. It is therefore inappropriate for SNH to offer financial assistance to those involved in this sport.

Telecommunications

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has obtained any assessment of the anticipated timescale for implementation of physical works arising from third generation telecommunications licenses from the Department of Trade and Industry.

Sarah Boyack: I refer Mr Tosh to the answer I gave to question S1W-6996.

Transport

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the figure for receipts shown in table 7.2 of its publication, Investing in You , whether it will identify the principal constituent components and, in particular, identify receipts from Erskine Bridge tolls and appropriations in aid.

Sarah Boyack: The words "receipts" and "appropriations in aid" as used in Investing In You are synonymous. The breakdown is set out in the following table:

  

 

1998-99
£ 
million 


1999-2000
£ 
million 


2000-01
£ 
million 


2001-02
£ 
million 




Outturn 


Estimate 


Plans 


Plans 




Erskine 
Bridge toll receipts 


4.5 


4.2 


4.0 


4.0 




VAT recovery 
on current expenditure 


8.0 


11.0 


11.0 


11.0 




Receipts 
from land sales 


0.6 


0.5 


0.5 


0.5 




VAT recovery 
on capital expenditure 


7.2 


7.5 


7.5 


7.5 




*ERDF 
Grant  


1.2 


0.0 


0.0 


0.0 




Total 
Receipts 


21.5 


23.2 


23.0 


23.0 




  *European Regional Development Funds for the A830 Polnish to Loch nan Uamh trunk road scheme.

Transport

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the finding in the Transport Research Laboratory’s report to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions that reserving road space for bus lanes contributes to congestion has any implications for its proposed Integrated Transport Bill.

Sarah Boyack: No. The Integrated Transport (Scotland) Bill, will reinforce the message that tackling congestion requires a comprehensive integrated transport strategy with local authorities and public transport operators working together to complement each others strengths. The Transport Research Laboratory’s report stated that there were some successful and some disappointing bus priority schemes, but overall such schemes had some degree of success. The challenge is to learn from that experience and ensure that bus priority schemes are properly targeted and integrated into wider transport strategies.

Voluntary Sector

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the current spend estimates on the Voluntary Sector contained in table 2.8 of the Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive, 2000.

Ms Wendy Alexander: A breakdown of the current spend estimates on the Voluntary Sector for 2000-01 and 2001-02 is set out below.

  

 

2000-01
£ million 


2001-02
£ million 




Annual Expenditure Report 


6.0 


5.9 




Infrastructure bodies – Scottish 
Council for Voluntary Organisations, Volunteer Development 
Scotland 


0.6 


0.6 




Councils for Voluntary Services 


1.3 


1.3 




Local Volunteer Development Agencies 


1.0 


1.0 




Active Communities Initiative 


0.6 


0.8 




Millennium Volunteers 


0.7 


0.7 




Unemployed Voluntary Action Fund 


0.9 


0.9 




Ethnic Minority Grant Scheme 


0.3 


0.3 




Unallocated 


0.6 


0.3

Water Supply

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-661 by Susan Deacon on 28 September 1999, whether arrangements for public consultation have now been established and what weight will be attached to local opinion polls or any other form of specifically local consultation in reaching final decisions on whether to fluoridate water supplies.

Susan Deacon: I refer to my answer of 14 April 2000 to Mrs Scanlon’s question S1W-3922.